Fall Back

Definition: Fall Back

Fall Back

Verb

1. Fall backwards and down.

2. Hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.

3. Move back and away from; "The enemy fell back".

4. Retreat.

5. Have recourse to; "The government resorted to rationing meat".

6. Go back to bad behavior; "Those who recidivate are often minor criminals".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Computing

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Fall Back

Defense

Stand on the defensive, act on the defensive; show fight; maintain one;s ground, stand one's ground; stand by; hold one's own; bear the brunt, stand the brunt; fall back upon, hold, stand in the gap.

Provision

Have in store, have in reserve; keep, keep by one, keep on foot, keep on hand; have to fall back upon; store; provide against a rainy day; (economy).

Recession

Verb: recede, go, move back, move from, retire; withdraw, shrink, back off; come away, move away, back away, go away, get away, drift away; depart; retreat; move off, stand off, sheer off; fall back, stand aside; run away; (avoid).

Regression

Verb: recede, regrade, return, revert, retreat, retire; retrograde, retrocede; back out; back down; balk; crawfish, crawl; withdraw; rebound; go back, come back, turn back, hark back, draw back, fall back, get back, put back, run back; lose ground; fall astern, drop astern; backwater, put about; backtrack, take the back track; veer round; double, wheel, countermarch; ebb, regurgitate; jib, shrink, shy.

Relapse

Verb: relapse, lapse; fall back, slide back, sink back; return; retrograde; recidivate; fall off again.

Use

Fall back upon, make a shift with; make the most of, make the best of.

Crosswords: Fall Back

So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower (Caddyshack; writing credit: Brian Doyle-Murray; Harold Ramis)

Yes, but see, the clock stops ringing once I throw it against the wall giving me ample time to fall back to sleep (Gilmore Girls; writing credit: Povl Erik Carstensen; Sebastian Dorset)

And gracefully fall back to the arms of Grace (Breathing; performing artist: Lifehouse)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Nothing to Fall Back On: The Life and Times of a Perpetual Optimist (reference)

  (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

When he descended from the scaffold, something in his look made the people fall back.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "fall back": fall back on ♦ fall back upon ♦ fall back upon a thing ♦ have to fall back upon ♦ To fall back ♦ to fall back on ♦ To fall back upon. Additional references.

Albanian

zbrapsem (shrink, shrink back), tërhiqem (back away, back out of, backpedal, backslide, climb down, deny, depart, draw away, draw back, give ground, rebound, recede, recoil, retire, retrograde, shrink, withdraw). (various references)

Arabic 

‏تقهقر (back away, fall behind, give ground, go on before, hold down, lose ground, recede, recession, retire, retreat, retreating, retrograde, retrogression, withdraw), ‏تراجع (back away, back down, back up, backwards, blemish, degradation, draw back, drawback, fall behind, give back, give ground, give the right of way, kick, lose ground, move back, palinode, recede, recess, recession, recoil, regress, regression, renege, retire, retract, retraction, retreat, retreating, retrogression, sell out, stand, take back, turn back, unsay, withdraw). (various references)

Bulgarian 

отстъпвам (accede to, backpedal, backslide, backtrack, comply, concede, defer, deliver, draw back, give, give back, give ground, give in, give up, give way to, knuckle under, part with, release, retire, retreat, retrocede, say uncle, stand aside, stand back, step back, submit, succumb, vail), оттеглям се (adjourn, back, back away, disengage, draw back, draw off, draw out, fall off, give back, give way to, pull back, recede, repair, retire, retreat, retrocede, retrograde, run out, scuttle, seclude, step down, withdraw). (various references)

Chinese 

後退 (draw back, recoil, retreat). (various references)

Czech

ustoupit (budge, give back, give ground, give in, recede, relent, retire, retreat, shrink, shrink back, shrink from, start back, submit, withdraw, yield), uchýlit se (resort, turn), stáhnout se (contract). (various references)

Finnish

vetäytyä (draw back, retire, retreat, withdraw), peräytyä (back, retreat). (various references)

French

se retirer (fall behind), se reculer (fall behind). (various references)

German

zurückfallen (drop back, drop behind, fall behind, move down, reflect, relapse, return, revert, to fall back, to relapse). (various references)

Greek 

υποχωρώ (abate, back down, back out of, blench, bow, cave in, climb down, defer to, ebb, flinch, give in, give way to, recede, relent, retreat, subduce, subside, yield), αναδιπλώνομαι, οπισθοχωρώ (back, blench, draw back, flinch, shrink). (various references)

Hebrew 

לס�'ת (back away, draw back, give ground, lose ground, recede, retire, retract, retreat, withdraw). (various references)

Hungarian

visszaesik (retrogress, to ebb, to fall back, to lapse back, to recidivate, to relapse, to retrograde). (various references)

Italian

ripiegare (bend, bend again, fold up, lower, refold, turn down, withdraw), ricadere (fall, fall again, fall down, flow, hang, relapse). (various references)

Manx

tuittym sheear er ash. (various references)

Pig Latin

allfay ackbay.(various references)

Portuguese

retroceder (flinch, recede, regress, retreat, retrograde, retrogress, revert, run back, set back, shrink, subside). (various references)

Romanian

se retrage (adjourn, climb, crane, cry off, draw back, draw off, efface, give way, make one's bow, move back, repair in, repair to, retire, retract, retreat, shrink, shrink from, stand back, step aside, withdraw), da înapoi (blench, check, climb, move back, put away, recede, recoil, repay). (various references)

Russian 

уступать (acquiesce, assent, be inferior to, cede, comply, concede, give ground, give in, give way to, knuckle under, pass up, rebate, relinquish, remise, stand down, succumb, surrender, yield, yield to), снижать (abase, abate, cut, cut down, lower, mark down, reduce, slowed), отступать (back away, back down, backtrack, blench, change one's base, digress, draw back, fell back, flinch, give ground, give grounds, lose ground, move back, recede, retire, retrograde, retrogress, stand back, step back). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

pribeći nečemu, povući se (baulk, draw back, lose ground, pull back, pull out, retreat, stand down). (various references)

Spanish

retroceder (back, back away, back up, flinch, give ground, go back, go backwards, move back, move backwards, push back, recede, regress, retrogress, stand back, turn back, walk backward), retirarse (bolt, bow out, disengage, draw away, draw back, remove, retire, retreat, scratch, sequester oneself, withdraw), replegarse (rally, retract), recurrir (appeal, draw on, draw upon), echar (add, affix, blow, blow out, bud, cast, cast up, chuck, chuck out, detrude, draw, drop, eject, fasten, kick out, lay, order off, order out, oust, post, pour, pump, push out, put, put down as, put forth, put on, put out, send, send away, send forth, send out, shoot, shoot forth, shoot out, sick, tack on, tell off, throw, throw away, throw in, throw on, throw out, throw up, tick off, tip, toss, toss away, toss over, turf out, turn out), bajar (abase, abate, bow, bring down, climb down, come down, cut, decline, decrease, deign, demean, demote, depreciate, descend, detrain, discount, dismount, download, drop, drop off, duck, ebb, fall, fall away, fall off, get down, get off, get out, go below, go belowdecks, go down, hand down, hang, hop off, let down, lift down, lower, pull down, put down, rebate, recede, reduce, ring down, sag, set out, sink, step down, stoop, subside, take down, trail, turn down, walk down, walk off, wind down). (various references)

Swedish

reträtt (backdown, climb down, retreat), reserv (backup, reserve, stand by), nödfallsutväg (makeshift), dra sig tillbaka (draw back, ebb, pull back, recarde, retire, stand down). (various references)

Turkish

gerilemek (degrade, deteriorate, draw back, drop back, drop behind, drop off, lose ground, recede, redound, regress, remount, retreat, retrograde, slip, stand back, turn back, worsen), geri çekilmek (beat a retreat, blench, disengage, recede, recoil, regress, retire, retract, retreat, set back, shrink back, stand back, step back, withdraw). (various references)

Turkmen 

зekilmek (retreat, step back). (various references)

Ukrainian

відступати (back, back down, backtrack, blench, crawfish, deviate, digress, draw back, draw off, drop back, ebb, flinch, give ground, go back, recede, retreat, retrograde, shy, stand away, stand back, walk backward), давати дорогу. (various references)

cedar, cedebat, cedent, cedentque, cedere, cedes, cedet, cedit, cedo, cedson, cessa, cesseris, cesserunt, cessimus, cessisset, cessit, cesso. (various references)

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: fallback.

-3 letters: aback, alack, black, cabal, calla, flack.

-4 letters: alba, alfa, baal, back, balk, ball, calf, calk, call, fall, flab, flak, lack.

-5 letters: aal, aba, ala, alb, all, baa, bal, cab, kab, kaf, lab, lac.

+1 letter: fallbacks.